Number line practice

Students glue together their numberline and use a frog to hop along.  I have old rummy cube tiles in a bowl and they draw out two for the two addends.  They can also keep drawing until they get to the end of the numberline and then start subtracting.  Super easy and fun numberline practice!

How to Level Daily Five Supplies

How do you help students manage Daily Five supplies to meet their individual level.  Everything in my classroom is coded to three levels:  Green means Go, Yellow Slowdown, and Red Hot Challenge.  Everyone in the class can use the Green Go, I warn students that yellow requires them to really slowdown and take their time, and students have to be approved for Red Hot Challenge (they have to demonstrate they can do it).  This system has been awesome!  My word work drawers contain different items.  The Red Hot Challenge drawer has harder to care for items and more difficult vocabulary, sight words etc. Even my class library is managed this way (except chapter books).  It makes it really easy for students to pick a "good fit" book.  And of course don't you just love the dogs with the green, yellow, and red books!!!  Thank you www.scrappindoodles.com for the perfect clipart to match my system!

The First Week of School

School is back in session and I have the cutest class ever!  (ok I say that every year but it is always true) I promised myself to post at least once a week so I am already behind!   Every year I send a welcome letter to my students from Titus the Wonderdog.  It includes a bone they have to bring on the first day to solve the mystery.  I tell them Titus helped get everything ready for the year and left his bone somewhere in the school.  We combine all the bones sent to the students to figure out where to look.  Each bone has a couple of words written on the back.  We talk about the clues "capital letters" (start of the sentence) and "punctuation" (end of a sentence).  These clues help us figure out the sentences and where to go.  We tour the school and guess what...in the office we find the bone!  This activity helps the students to practice procedures, meet the school staff, and they learn about sentence writing.  The second day of school Titus writes them a letter and sends them "scooby snacks" to say thank you.  They write a letter back to Titus.  So within the first two days of school we practiced correct sentence creation, letter writing, and lots of procedures.  The kids didn't even know they were doing any work!  We sing the Titus the Wonderdog song and we are off to a great start!  You may have guessed our classroom is all dogs!

Favorite iPad Accessories

Belkin Rockstar Multiheadphone Splitter
No more "Oversized Toolbox" listening center (with tangled headphones) needed.  Use AudioMemos app to record any story and your iPad becomes your listening center.  Five students can plug-in at a time.  I used all the Houghton Mifflin teacher read-alouds and laminated a questioning card for each one.  Works great and storage is a snap!

 

Jawbone Jambox is wireless and links in through bluetooth technology.  It produces the perfect amount of sound for my classroom and is super simple to use!  And best of all it is so small!!!

 

 

 

VGA adapter allows my iPad to connect to projector.  I suggest a longer connecting cord as well or you will be stuck and unable to even turn your iPad.

App List for Davis Technology Conference Participants

Welcome Davis Technology Conference Attendees!

Here is a list of the apps we talked about in class:

(Remember many of these apps have a lite version to try out.)

My "I can’t live without" list:

Popplet $4.99

Audiomemos 99¢

Simplex Spell $4.99

Accurate Tracer ABC & Numbers Combo $2.99

2^nd Grade Reading Comprehension $2.99

Common Core Free

Living Earth $2.99

WilderQuest Free

Santa Believer Scanner Free

Kundersanterbleebin  Short Version Free

Solar Walk $2.99

Language Arts:

Montessori Words $2.99

Blends Free

Pocketphonic $2.99

Simplex Spell $4.99

1000 Sight words superhero Free
Grammar Jammers Free
Sight words Free
Bluster Free
Scoot Pad Free
Amazing Coin Free
Word Bingo Free
Storia Free
Chicktionary Free
Textropolis Free
Dragon Dictation Free
Flashcardlet Free

Writing Apps:

Puppetpal Free
Strip Designer $2.99
Story Wheel Free in-app purchases

Math:

Mad Math $2.99
Geometry4Kids 99¢
Splash Math $9.99
Telling Time Photo Touch 99¢
Count Money Free
Dice Free
Cashcow 99¢
Math bingo Free

Teacher Apps:

Common Core Free
Khan Academy Free
RTI John Anderson $1.99
Reading Remedies 99¢
Classroom Dojo Free
Level it $2.99 limited time
Too Noisy Free
Classroom Timer Free
ShowMe Free
ScreenChomp Free
Glow Draw Free
Bamboo Paper Free
Educreations Free
Teaching Table $2.99
Evernote Peek Free

Science:

ck-12 studyNow Free
Smithsonian Free
Cosmic Free

Social Studies:
Timeline eons Free
Globe for iPad Free
Google Earth Free

And my personal favorites:

Ted Free
Zite Free
Cross Me  Free
Paprika $4.99
Seven Little Words Free
Risk $2.99

Thanks to Kaywa for the QR code!

I've Never

Anyone played the game I've Never?  Everyone sits in a circle except one person who is standing say something they have never done...anyone who has done it has to switch chairs.  If you end up standing it is now your turn to say "I've never" and then it continues.  I was thinking about that for teachers but in the sense of things I have done but maybe don't want to admit.  So here is my list of confessions...please comment with any ideas you might add to the list:

I've Never...
1. called a student by my own child's name
2. called a sub at the last minute even though I had the appointment scheduled for months
3.  left my lesson plan book on the kitchen counter on a Monday
4.  planned lessons for the same day during the 45 minutes before the bell rang
5.  thought (only thought) about calling in sick the day after a field trip to the zoo
6.  thrown away stacks of student worksheets that I fully intended on grading
7.  watched an educational video the last fifteen minutes of class because I was worried I might have a nervous breakdown
8.  drank an unimaginable amount of Diet Coke to get through the last few days before Christmas
9.  kept chocolate in my desk and then ate it before dealing with an overly active student (medicinal intervention to calm myself)
10.  spent most of a math lesson dealing with supplies!!!

So many of these issues have been resolved since my first teaching days. I bet you can guess which ones I still might indulge in (hint: Diet Coke and chocolate). 

Here is how I resolved #10.  One way to manage math supplies is to create math cans.  I have a student helper that fills the cans and another student helper that passes them out for me at the beginning of the math lesson.  Works great, smells great (crystal light cans), and no more lost base-ten cubes or rods!

Daily Five - CAFE Menu

 

When I decided to implement the CAFE type menu I decided I needed to change it to meet my classroom needs in all areas of Language Arts including writing.  So it became ACTION reading.  I really wanted to emphasize that reading takes "action"  and I always have my students self-assess if they have a "busy brain".  Now my cute little second-graders always ask is it time for "Action Reading".  I love it and so do they! 

 

A = accuracy (picking the right books, slowing down, etc.)

C = comprehension (everything from narrative text to informational)

T = timed (think fluency and DIBELS)

I = intent (authors purpose and purpose in writing)

O = organization (love this section for diagrams, headings, and writing format)

N = new words (vocabulary, spelling, shades of meaning)